Poison
by CamiBelle
Summary: A hunting trip goes terribly wrong when a young dwarf falls gravely ill. Will Gandalf be able to cure the dwarf? Or will he just make it worse? Featuring hurt!Kili and concerned!Fili


All was peaceful around the dwarven campfire that night. Thorin's company had just escaped a rather close call with Azog the Defiler and were enjoying a few minutes peace. Thorin himself was relishing the fact that even though many were injured, none had fallen in the horrid battle.

Dori and Nori were sitting next to a rattled Ori, trying to calm his spirits with a few tales.

Balin and Dwalin were crouched next to the fire, talking in hushed whispers.

Oin and Gloin were watching the ponies, sitting closer to each other than they usually do.

Fili and Kili were lying by a tree, talking about how lucky they were that everyone survived the battle.

Bilbo was numbly sitting by the fire, still trying to comprehend what happened in the past few hours.

Gandalf was smoking his pipe off in the distance.

Bofur, Bifur, and Bombur were searching through the company's bags, trying to find what little food they could muster for a stew.

"Oi, Thorin! We're almost out of food," Bofur told the leader of their company.

Coming out of his own thoughts, Thorin looked around the lethargic camp for his two best hunters. "Fili, Kili. Go hunting. See if you can actually catch something this time."

"Finally, something to do," Kili responded, a smile on his face.

The brothers stretched out of their comfortable position and got ready to go hunting into the forest. Fili gathered his twin swords and Kili his bow, and together the two set off into the forest.

"Durin's name, I'm starving," Kili complained once they were out of Thorin's earshot.

"You're always hungry. Quit complaining for once," Fili retorted.

The two dwarves continued their bickering until their perceptive ears caught the sound of a twig snapping. Looking at each other to ensure the other had heard the noise, the brothers ducked down behind a fallen tree and waited until their prey came into view.

A slender deer grazed in a small clearing just in front of the two dwarves.

A small gust of wind passed and Fili gathered some old leaves and crumpled them in the breeze. Noticing the dwarves were slightly upwind of the creature, they moved further South.

Kili nocked an arrow into his bow once they were in the optimal position. Fili found a small pebble on the ground and threw it in front of the deer, drawing its attention. No less than a second later, Kili fired his arrow into the deer's chest.

"I don't know about you, but I think we can probably catch more than this," Kili said, looking down at their kill.

"I'll go further North. Meet me back here, alright?"

The younger nodded at this idea and the brothers went their separate ways.

Kili stalked around looking for any game he could shoot, when his hunger came back fiercer than ever. He searched for anything that could quell his gnawing hunger, and came across a small patch of mushrooms. Kili took a handful of the mushrooms and shoved them into his mouth. His craving diminished for the moment, the young dwarf headed out to hunt once more.

* * *

Carrying with him a small deer, Kili triumphantly walked towards the clearing where he last saw his brother. He saw that Fili had caught a few large birds and a squirrel, and together they made off towards camp once again.

The two brothers started talking about the days before they set off on their journey to Erebor. "And what about that time when you spilled mead all over that girl's dress? That was hilarious!"

"Laugh all you want, little brother. I distinctly remember you pushing that same girl into a muddy lake the very same day! Now _that_ was hilarious."

Kili was just about to make a comeback when he got a large pain in his stomach. The young dwarf let out an audible groan which soon caught his brother's attention.

"Kili? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a stomach cramp, I think. We should probably head back to camp." Fili, concern showing all over his face, obliged his brother and they set off once again towards the camp.

When they were but a few yards from camp Kili felt the pain once again. He bit down on his lip, refusing to let out a sound this time and show himself as weak, and the two dwarves made it back into the clearing where Thorin's company was waiting.

Kili stalked towards a tree on the edge of their camp, so not to attract attention to himself, and took a few deep breaths. He would not show weakness however. He was a strong dwarf. Strong dwarves would not give in to something as futile as a stomach cramp.

However, the pain soon became to intense, and Kili let out a loud groan.

Fili, ever so attentive to everything his brother did, noticed this right away and rushed over to the dwarf's side.

"Kili?" Fili looked to his younger brother.

Kili started thinking about anything that could have caused a stomach pain so intense. He hadn't done anything too strenuous, so it couldn't have been that. He barely had anything to eat, aside from the mushrooms-

The mushrooms.

Kili knew what happened if someone eats poisonous mushrooms. Barely anyone survives it. How could he have been so stupid!

"Kili? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Fili, I-I don't feel too good."

Fili was just about to ask his little brother what was wrong when Kili soon collapsed into a heap. Fili soon caught his idiotic little brother so to keep him from hitting the ground.

"Thorin!" Fili yelled for his uncle.

The leader of the dwarven company looked away from Balin and at his eldest nephew in confusion, until he saw a mop of brown hair cradled in his nephew's arms. He ran over to the Durin heirs and helped Fili lean his brother against a nearby tree.

Kili was shaking violently and muttering incoherently under his breath. In all the confusion, only one word could make it's way into Fili's head.

Poison.

"Go and get Gandalf," Thorin ordered the blonde dwarf.

"But, Kili-"

"Go!"

Fili hesitated for a moment before obliging his uncle and he ran over to the wizard. Thorin, meanwhile, was examining his youngest nephew to see what could possibly be wrong. He felt the dwarf's forehead to find him burning up. _Fever,_ Thorin Oakenshield thought to himself._ That's never good._

Finally the wizard made his way to Thorin's side. The other members of the company were slowly starting to notice the state their youngest member was in, but they decided not to distract their leader with questions at the moment as the wizard made his way towards the young dwarf.

"Let me see him," Gandalf said. He began looking over the trembling dwarf. "Did anything happen that might explain what caused this?"

"Well, Kili mentioned the word poison right after he . . . you know," Fili stuttered.

"Ah. Did he say what kind it was?"

"No. He didn't."

"Well, that persists a problem. I can't treat him properly without knowing what type of poison it was."

"B-but you have to do something!"

"I am aware of this, Master Fili." Gandalf turned back to his patient to see him wriggling around in immense pain. The wizard let his hand float above the young dwarf's torso and found the source of the discomfort. "Oh, dear. That's not good."

"What's not good?" Fili asked the wizard.

"His liver has shut down."

"What does that mean?" Ori piped from behind his eldest brother.

The wizard refused to answer the dwarf in fear of what his reaction may be. "Here, help me lie him down." Together the wizard and the worried dwarf moved Kili so he was lying flat on his back. Once Fili took back his hands after helping his brother, he noticed the faintest trace of blood on them. "Gandalf?"

"Yes, my boy?"

"H-he's bleeding. How could he be bleeding? We barely touched him!" The blonde dwarf looked to the wizard, concern and fear in his eyes.

"It is a side effect of liver damage. I'm afraid we have no choice. I have to try to treat him before he gets any worse. Perhaps it was berry poisoning? Yes, that does seem the most likely," Gandalf muttered to himself. "Fili?"

"Yes?"

"I need you to find any berries that might have been picked near where you two were hunting."

Fili looked from Gandalf to his brother. He nodded his head and went to kneel down next to his brother. "I'll be back, Kili. We're gonna make you better."

The young dwarf looked to his brother. When Fili looked down, he saw that his brother's pupils were largely dialated.

Fili widened his eyes. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

The blonde dwarf set off back the way they came, and looked fervently for any berries that Kili might have been fool enough to eat. Finally, he came to the spot where Kili said he had slain a deer, and searched even harder. His eyes came to rest on a patch of half eaten mushrooms, but thinking nothing of them, the dwarf continued on his search. After five minutes of relentless searching, Fili came upon a bush of berries. On the ground nearest the bush, there were crushed berries and broken twigs. Fili wasn't sure if these were the right berries, but they were the best lead that he had. He gathered a handful and rushed back towards the camp.

"Gandalf! I think I found it," Fili said as he ran back to his brothers side. The youngest dwarf was pale as the moon, and shaking violently. Fili saw that his brother was trying, _desperately_ trying, to say something, but Fili just could not make it out. Telling himself he could think about it later, Fili quickly handed the berries over to the wizard.

"Alright. Let me just make a poultice and Kili will be well again. I hope," Gandalf added quietly.

"You hope?" Gloin asked, afraid that their wizard wasn't so powerful after all.

"Well, there is always the chance that he wasn't poisoned by berries," the wizard admitted to the dwarves surrounding him with questioning glares, his eyes still trained on the poultice. "But that chance is very slim. Yes, I do believe Kili will be just fine."

Fili gazed at his brothers broken form, concern tearing at his heart. How could Fili betray his brother so?! Sure, Kili was a total idiot by eating the berries, but Fili should have been able to see what was wrong with his brother sooner. Guilt soon came to dwell in the blonde dwarf's heart as he hoped against hope that Gandalf would be able to cure his beloved brother. Thoughts of what Fili would do if his brother did . . . pass on soon entered his brain as well, but Fili forced them away as he saw the tall form of Gandalf approaching with a poultice in hand.

The wizard handed Fili the completed poultice and told the blonde dwarf to administer it to his brother. Fili tentatively approached the battered dwarf and leaned down to give the medicine to his brother. Or, he would have given the medicine to his brother had Kili not turned away and started pushing Fili back.

_Mushrooms,_ Kili tried desperately to say. _It was mushrooms._ But Kili could not find the words to say it. His mouth had become so numb that he could not move his lips at all.

After quite a large struggle, Fili finally got his brother to swallow the medicine. "You're gonna be fine, Kili. Just eat this." Kili shook his head but it was no use, the poultice was in his mouth and was headed towards his stomach.

_At least one good thing came from this medicine, _Kili thought as he slowly began to sense the numbness retreating from his lips. He quickly and quietly whispered, "Mushroom . . . poisoning."

"What did you say?" Fili asked his brother, leaning in closer.

"I-it was mushrooms." Fili's eyes went from confused to terrified in a matter of seconds.

"Gandalf!"

"What is it, Fili?"

"What would happen to Kili if it was mushroom poisoning, not berry?" Fili asked, afraid what the answer could be.

"Mushrooms?" the wizard said in dismay. "Oh, but of course. The signs were obvious. How could I have missed them?" he said to himself.

"Gandalf? What will happen to him?"

The wizard looked at the petrified young dwarf with remorse. He then rushed to the Kili's side.

Fili couldn't believe it. He had only been gone for a minute and already his brother had gotten far worse. Kili was moaning and groaning, tossing and turning, biting his lip so hard that it had began to bleed.

"Fili, I need you to help me."

"What are you gonna do to him?" the blonde dwarf asked Gandalf.

"I'm afraid that to reverse the effects of the poultice, I must perform a powerful and rather painful magic. I need you to hold your brother down while I cure him."

Fili hesitantly looked to the wizard. _If only I had been quicker to notice, none of this would have happened, _Fili thought to himself as he hesitantly placed his hands on his brother's shoulders. Kili's eyes met his brother's. Fili could see all the pain Kili was going through just by that look in his brother's eyes and it made the blonde dwarf melt with regret and sympathy.

Thorin, looking around the camp, ushered everyone towards a nearby river so they were not to see the youngest member of their company in such pain. Thorin knew what it was like to have an audience when he was in excruciating pain, and he wished that at that time there was someone to relieve him of prying eyes. Looking back to his nephews once more, Thorin moved to join the rest of his company to give them the utmost of privacy.

Without warning, the wizard began performing the painful magic on an unsuspecting Kili.

The injured dwarf trembled vigorously, trying to shake his brother off, but Fili refused to let go. The blonde dwarf knew what he needed to do so his brother would be well again. He didn't like what he had to do _at all, _but he refused to let his brother down once more.

Groans of pain escaped the younger's lips which soon morphed into screams. Fili met Kili's eyes. _Please, make it stop, _they said.

"I'm sorry, Kili. Just hold on a little bit longer, okay? Then everything will be fine. Just be strong." Fili continued to say words of encouragement. "Kili, look at me," the blonde dwarf ordered his brother. Big brown eyes found their brothers in an instant, tears brimming at the edge. Kili refused to cry, though. Strong dwarves do not cry.

But the pain soon became too much.

Finally the tears escaped as Kili desperately tried to push his brother off. Why was Fili making him go through such torture? Didn't his brother care for him? _No, _Kili thought to himself. _There has to be _some_ reason why Fili is doing this to me. _Kili tried his hardest to put up with the pain, but he couldn't help it when cries of agony escaped his cracked lips.

The two brothers stared at each other, Fili hoping his brother would be able to withstand the pain for a little longer, Kili hoping his brother would make the pain stop. After what seemed like an hour, Gandalf finally finished performing his magic and collapsed against a nearby tree.

Kili closed his eyes in relief as his breathing got slower and slower.

"Kili?" Fili asked, willing his brother to open his eyes.

When no response came, Fili asked again, "Kili? Come on, open your eyes." Kili still refused to show his brother that he was in fact alive. Fili looked to the wizard, silently asking if his brother would be alright. When he was met with a look of sorrow, Fili turned his head back to his brother.

"Kili!" the blonde dwarf started shaking his brothers shoulders as to get a response.

"F-Fili?"

Fili let out a sigh as he met his brothers eyes. "You fool. Don't ever scare me like that ever again. You hear me? _Ever."_

Kili laughed weakly.

The other members of the company soon made their way back to the campsite, looks of relief painted on their faces as they noticed their youngest was still alive. Thorin came closer to his youngest nephew and kneeled at his alive yet broken form.

"Are you alright?" he asked the young dwarf.

"I'll live," Kili replied.

Thorin looked at his youngest nephew with compassion and relief. He was about to say something caring, but the dwarf King quickly silenced his thoughts as he muttered, "Fool," before going back to Balin to discuss what their next plans were.

"Mushrooms? Really?" Fili asked his brother in disbelief once their uncle had left.

"I know, it was stupid and I shall never do it again," Kili looked at his brother, a small smile playing on his cracked lips.

Fili looked out towards the river as he said, "I should've noticed you were sick earlier."

"What?" Kili asked incredulously. "No, Fili, _I _am to blame for this. I take full responsibility for my actions. None of this is your fault."

"But I'm your big brother. I'm supposed to take care of you."

"Not all the time, though. Fili, I'm 77 years old. I can take care of myself once and a while."

"And you completely proved that today, didn't you?" he asked sarcastically. Kili jabbed his older brother in the ribs as the two laughed about anything and everything they could think of. What mum would be doing right now, how ticked off Thorin would be if they put ants in his boot, how long Gandalf would be gone this time. And as they talked about little, insignificant things Fili thought to himself, _I'm never gonna leave you, Kili. You and I will be together until the end of time. You mark my words.__  
_


End file.
